HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A judge cleared the way Thursday for the potential release of Subramanyam Vedam, an Indian citizen taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after his Pennsylvania murder conviction was overturned. Following a four-hour hearing, Vedam insisted he did not fatally shoot Thomas Kinser in 1980, asserting his innocence. Vedam participated in the hearing remotely from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania.
Having spent 40 years in prison, Vedam expressed remorse for his actions as a youth, stating, “I was young and stupid and did a lot of dumb things back then.” At 64 years old, he faces deportation to India, a country he left as a baby in 1962.
U.S. Immigration Judge Adam Panopoulos recognized Vedam’s rehabilitation efforts and noted his commitment to improving literacy among inmates. Despite his progress, a DHS lawyer indicated he could still face deportation due to unrelated drug distribution convictions.
Vedam, raised in State College, Pennsylvania, by his father, a physics professor, was on the verge of becoming a U.S. citizen when he was arrested. During the court proceedings, Vedam’s attorney Ava Benach indicated plans to seek his release on bond, hoping for him to live with a relative in Sacramento, California, and potentially enroll in Oregon State University’s doctoral program.
The Department of Homeland Security has one month to appeal the judge's decision. Vedam’s plight illustrates the complex intersection of immigration law and criminal justice, as he continues to navigate the aftermath of a decades-old conviction and his current legal challenges.
Having spent 40 years in prison, Vedam expressed remorse for his actions as a youth, stating, “I was young and stupid and did a lot of dumb things back then.” At 64 years old, he faces deportation to India, a country he left as a baby in 1962.
U.S. Immigration Judge Adam Panopoulos recognized Vedam’s rehabilitation efforts and noted his commitment to improving literacy among inmates. Despite his progress, a DHS lawyer indicated he could still face deportation due to unrelated drug distribution convictions.
Vedam, raised in State College, Pennsylvania, by his father, a physics professor, was on the verge of becoming a U.S. citizen when he was arrested. During the court proceedings, Vedam’s attorney Ava Benach indicated plans to seek his release on bond, hoping for him to live with a relative in Sacramento, California, and potentially enroll in Oregon State University’s doctoral program.
The Department of Homeland Security has one month to appeal the judge's decision. Vedam’s plight illustrates the complex intersection of immigration law and criminal justice, as he continues to navigate the aftermath of a decades-old conviction and his current legal challenges.
